Look at all of the sweet details on these darling, vintage, Valentine’s Day Snowmen. Designer Beth Watson uses glitter, dictionary pages, silver tinsel stems, buttons, and baker’s twine to make this mixed media, snowman craft. You’ll even recycle jars to make these cuties – and filling the jars is part of the fun, too. The instructions look long, but they’re not hard so please don’t be intimidated. Now, let’s go build a snowman!

Vintage, Valentine’s Day Snowmen by Beth Watson.

To make Vintage, Valentine’s Day Snowmen, you’ll need:

STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam: One 3-1/2” ball and two, 2-1/2” balls

Acrylic craft paint: Black, white, metallic white, pink

Glass jars (Beth’s measured 2” x 6”; 3” x 8”; and 3” x 3”)

Air-dry clay in orange (you can also use white air-dry clay and paint the dried noses orange)

Toothpicks, two

Dictionary pages, or other printed pages, five pages total

Cardboard, small scrap

Red glitter cardstock

Silver tinsel chenille stems

Buttons: Three 5/8” white, and three 3/8” red

Jingle bells, six

Metallic pompom, red

Brads: Black, two large; four small (eyes)

Clear rhinestones, self-adhesive: Six 8mm; 25 – 30, 4mm (the smaller rhinestones are optional and are used to decorate one of the jars)

To make Vintage, Valentine’s Day Snowmen:

1. Wash and dry jars and lids. Paint the jar lids white and let dry. (Beth spray painted the lids, and you can also use brush-on paint.)

2. Mold three carrot noses from the air dry clay. Cut two toothpicks in half, place a dab of glue on cut ends, and insert into the ends of each carrot nose. Let dry overnight.

3. Insert a wood skewer into each foam ball to use as a handle. Paint each ball white and let dry. Top coat with metallic white; let dry. (Hint: Insert the handles into a scrap piece of STYROFOAM Brand Foam or place in a glass to hold the balls upright while paint dries.)

4. Measure and cut two, 2” by 8” strips from dictionary pages. Accordion fold both strips and use glue dots or craft glue to connect two ends together, making one long strip. Connect the other ends together, forming a circle. Cut out a 2” cardboard circle; squeeze glue onto the middle of the circle. Gather the folded circle together with your fingers to create a rosette. Place rosette in center of the cardboard circle, and add a small weight, such as the glue bottle, to hold it in place while glue dries. When dry, lightly brush edges with glue and sprinkle on red glitter.

5. To make the hats, measure and cut from dictionary pages one 3” by 3” square; two 2” by 6” rectangles; one 1” x 4” rectangle; and one 2″ circle.

Form the 3” square into a cone and glue or tape together. Glue silver chenille stem around the edge, and hold in place with small clothes pin or paper clip till glue dries. Glue red pompom to the tip.

Cut eight points along the 6” edge of 2” x 6” rectangle. Adhere six, 8mm rhinestones to the points. Glue edges together, forming crown. Glue silver chenille stem around the edge, and hold in place with small clothes pin or paper clips while glue dries.

Tape or glue together the 2” ends of the second, 2” x 6” rectangle, forming a tube. Glue tube to the 2” circle to make a top hat. Glue silver chenille stem around the base of the hat, and hold in place with small clothes pin or paper clips till glue dries.

Form a nose from air-dry clay; add brads for eyes; and paint on the mouth and cheeks.

6. Add noses to faces. Squeeze dab of tacky glue on pointy ends of toothpicks and push into center front of each foam ball. Add eyes: insert two large brads in 3-1/2” ball and smaller brads into 2-1/2” balls. Dry brush pink paint onto cheeks. Dip blunt end of paint brush into black paint and dab on black dots for mouths.

7. Glue the snowman heads to the lids, and the hats to the heads, referring to the photo for the assembly. For the large snowman, the rosette is glued onto the jar lid first, and then the head, followed by the hat. Tie silver ribbon around each lid and form a bow; trim ends.

Tie together a jingle bell & white button, and glue to a red heart.

8. Assemble the embellishments. Using scissors or punches, cut out four hearts and three circles from the red litter cardstock. Punch or cut out three smaller circles from dictionary pages (Note: Beth used a medallion paper punch for her smaller circles, which makes a circle with points. This is optional.)

Using baker’s twine, thread a silver bell onto each 5/8” white button, and each 3/8” red button. Tie twine in a bow and trim ends.

Glue a white button/bell to each red glitter hearts.

Glue a heart to each hat.

Tie together a red button and a jingle bell and glue to layered circles.

Glue red heart to flag. (If using a red bird, this is the flag held by the bird.)

9. Attach a row of 4mm rhinestones around bottom of one jar.

10. Have fun filling your jars! Beth used pompoms and shredded paper to fill her hearts, and added a red bird and flag to the largest jar. You can also use candies, jingle bells, buttons, paper hearts, or??

Beth filled her largest jar with a shredded paper “nest” and a red mushroom bird.

These snowmen are so much fun. How would you fill your jars?

I hope to see you tomorrow when I announce a giveaway to celebrate a milestone on Crafts ‘n Coffee. I can’t wait to tell you about it! See you Friday!

Ok, Sharon, I am seriously in LOVE with these! These are beautiful, sweet and full of charm and personality all at the same time! Even a little gift could go in the jar! Have to rearrange my want to make list yet again!!! :) You always inspire!

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